Butchering By the Book Sergeant's
by CAVALRYMAN1863
Summary: When an enlisted man is beaten to the unknown sight of Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch, what will Blutch do to make sure this butcher doesn't get away with what they did.


It was late July of 1863, after successful Cavalry operations in Mississippi, the 22nd Cavalry returned to La Grange and got some well deserved rest, everyone except Cpl Blutch, a hard nosed First Sergeant who joined the Regiment only five months before had been hounding ever since he got his Sergeant stripes. The soldier's name was First Sgt Gregg, he was a by the book soldier who thought he was the biggest thing since sliced bread, all the enlisted men hated him, even Sgt Chesterfield.

Sgt Gregg was drilling new recruits and was drilling them hard, calling out someone who put their foot down marching just a second before everyone else, Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch were watching him.

Cpl Blutch: "Man I hate that guy, he gets on my nerves, just yesterday he said I hadn't shined belt buckle, and I had just fallen in the dirt."

Sgt Chesterfield: "I know what you mean, he always judges some of the other NOC's in how they treat Troopers, I may be strict, but I know when to be strict to have respect, every enlisted man in the company just plain hates him, and some of the officers too."

Cpl Blutch: "It's hard to believe, he's so bad that even you hate him."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Oh shut up you nincompoop."

After Sgt Gregg finished drilling the absolute life out of the men, he went over to talk to Sgt Chesterfield, but the Sergeant wanted no part of Sgt Gregg.

Sgt Gregg: "Hi there Sergeant, how are you?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "I'm fine Gregg, what do you want."

Sgt Gregg: "Nothing Sarge, I just want to ask you about that Corporal your always around."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Who Blutch? What about him?"

Sgt Gregg: "He isn't army, if anything he's a disgrace to the uniform."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Look Sergeant, no one's perfect."

Sgt Gregg: "And your not hard on him enough, or show discipline to those under you, in my opinion, your soft?" After hearing that, Sgt Chesterfield started to fill with rage, he knew how to show discipline, but he also knew to be a good leader, you had to have the respect of the men under you. The enraged Sergeant grabbed Gregg by the collar and brought him up to his eyesight, Gregg could see there was fire in his eyes with rage.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Listen to me you little cuss, if I hear you questioning my ways again, I'll hang you by your toes from the tallest tree I can find." Sgt Gregg was scared half to to death, the Sergeant dropped him and walked back to his tent to clean his Remington Pistol, he did that whenever he was angry.

 _Later_

Cpl Blutch found the Sarge with an angered look on his face polishing his pistol like it was the end of the world, and he knew why.

Cpl Blutch: "Gregg get on your nerves."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Yup, I can't stand that by the book jerk."

Cpl Blutch: "Well Sarge, welcome to the club. I hear he's taking a patrol out in the morning, we'll see how that goes."

Sgt Chesterfield: "I just hope everything goes well." Just then, they heard footsteps outside, they looked out of their tent and saw Sgt Gregg head towards a clump of trees.

The two of them silently left the tent and followed Sgt Gregg, when they got closer to the clump of trees they heard muffled yelling, the two of them got behind a tree and looked around the tree to see something shocking. Sgt Gregg had Cpl Fisk, tied up to a tree and Gregg was holding his Carbine by the barrel, he snickered at Fisk as he struggled in his trap.

Sgt Gregg: "You know Corporal, you should never contradict the orders of your superiors, bad things might happen." He hit Fisk in the stomach with the bunt of his Carbine. "You also might get hurt." He hit him with the bunt of his Carbine again, but in his face this time.

Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch winced at the site of this, Sgt Gregg was beating the life out of Cpl Fisk. Cpl Blutch couldn't watch, this violence was unnecessary, it reminded him of his childhood at the orphanage he lived at. Gregg then swung his Carbine at Fisk's legs like a baseball bat, and he slyly smiled at his handy work of beat Cpl Fisk within an inch of his life. The Sergeant untied the Corporal and carried him to the field hospital, making sure that Fisk wouldn't say anything on how he got his wounds.

The Sergeant and Corporal were oblivious to what they saw, they couldn't believe that Sgt Gregg did that, only a butcher and cold hearted person would do such a thing.

Cpl Blutch: "We should report this to Lt Danford."

Sgt Chesterfield: "There would be no point, we don't have enough evidence to prove what happened to Fisk."

Cpl Blutch: "Then what do we do?!"

Sgt Chesterfield: "First we'll get some rest, then we'll go see Fisk in the hospital in the morning." And the two of them walked back to their tent.

 _The Next Morning_

After reveille, the two Non Commissioned Officers went to the hospital to go check on Cpl Fisk, but on their way there Lt Cohill walked over to the both of them, it looked like it was urgent.

Lt Cohill: "Cpl Blutch?"

Cpl Blutch: "Yes?"

Lt Cohill: "Since Cpl Fisk is in the hospital with two bad legs, you'll have to take over as second in command in First Sergeant Gregg's patrol." Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch were shocked about this, it would be a possibility for Gregg to hurt Blutch so bad that he's barley alive, unless they could find evidence to discharge Gregg. When they got to the field hospital they immideatly saw that Fisk was also being visited by Mccreedy and Fredricks.

Trooper Mccreedy: "Fisk, you've got to tell us who did this too you, we know it wasn't an accident, you couldn't look this bad falling out of your cot."

Fisk didn't say a thing, he just looked down at his leg and made no eye contact with anyone, he didn't want anyone's help at this point.

Trooper Fredricks: "Was it Sgt Gregg?" There was no response from Fisk.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Yes, it was."

Trooper Mccreedy: "How do you know Sarge?"

Cpl Blutch: "Me and the Sarge saw what happened, and now I have to go on that patrol with Gregg."

Trooper Fredricks: "That monster, I saw we..."

Cpl Blutch: "We can't retaliate on him like that Jake, that'll make us just as bad as him."

Trooper Mccreedy: "Then we'll report this to Lt Danford, he'll hold a board of inquiry."

Sgt Chesterfield: "All we have is two eyewitness accounts, and we have to find a way to confirm we were there, if anything it'll look like we're just getting Sgt Gregg in trouble without any connection to this."

Trooper Mccreedy: "Well he's already doing it, he'll hold it after Gregg gets back from the patrol, that Blutch has to go on." Then, a light bulb appeared over Sgt Chesterfield's head, he had an idea.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Corporal, if you can find some dirt on Gregg connecting him to it, then we'll be able to get a dishonorable discharge from this inquiry."

Cpl Blutch: "Oh boy, as much as I hate patrol's, I'll do it, for a friend in need." The men in the hospital cheered for the Corporal. (Thinking) "Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?"

 _Later_

The patrol was ready to go, Sgt Gregg was waiting on Cpl Blutch to get there, he was growing impatient with the Corporal, and was ready to go without him, when he appeared by his side.

Sgt Gregg: "Well, glad of you to finally join us Corporal, hope we didn't cut into your personal time."

Cpl Blutch: "No Sarge, I'm fine, I was just basking in the sun this whole time." Blutch and the other members of the patrol laughed, except Sgt Gregg, who looked a little angry.

Sgt Gregg: "FORWARD, YO!" They rode out of camp and headed towards a small hill, not knowing there was a surprise in three words, Nathan Bedford Forest.

They rode for fifteen miles towards the hill when they were ambushed by Bedford Forest's Cavalry, the men in the small cavalry patrol ducked into the woods and dismounted.

Sgt Gregg: "GIVE THEM A STORM OF LEAD MEN!" The troopers opened fire on the Reb cavalry they were up against, but the Union troopers were outnumbered, and they didn't have enough ammunition to hold out until night.

Trooper O'Neal: "WE CAN'T HOLD THEM SARGE, WE NEED TO PULL OUT!"

Sgt Gregg: "I'LL SAY WHEN WE PULL OUT!" O'Neal decided to ride back to La Grange and bring back reinforcements himself, he went for his horse and mounted up, he started to ride away when he was shot in the back, by Sgt Gregg. The men looked at him in shock, he shot one of his own men and without cause, he wasn't deserting, he was going to get reinforcements. "THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS TO COWARDS!"

Cpl Blutch was filled with rage at this point, he lunged at Sgt Gregg, he slugged him with his pistol, knocking the First Sergeant unconscious, he looked at his comades and gave the order.

Cpl Blutch: "MOUNT UP, LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" The men quickly remounted and galloped back to their camp in La Grange as fast as their horses could take them.

 _That Evening_

When Sgt Gregg had woken up from being slugged, Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch told Lt Danford what they saw the night before with Cpl Fisk, and Cpl Blutch also told the Lieutenant what happened on the patrol. The Lieutenant quickly had a dishonorable discharge drawn up and when Sgt Gregg woke up, he was furious, and he knew two people to blame.

When Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch walked into their tent after evening mess, they found former First Sergeant Gregg sitting on Cpl Blutch's cot, and needless to say, he looked furious.

Sgt Chesterfield: "Gregg, what do you want."

Sgt Gregg: "I wanted to be the one to tell you, now that you've ruined my military career, I now have to go home a disgrace to my family. I also wanted to say, you two better watch your backs, because the next time I see you, I'll make you regret you were ever born." And with that, Sgt Gregg stormed out of the tent of the two NCO's.

Cpl Blutch: "Do you think he means it Sarge?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "I don't know, men like him, you don't know what their capable of."

 **The End?**


End file.
